Equanimity: The 2nd Stage

The 2nd Stage: (Part 3 of the 12 part series) Encountering the Inner Layers of the Earth as a Rosicrucian/Christian Initiation, in relation to the Beatitudes and the 9-fold human being.

Next we contend with the 3rd of the 6 basic exercises, & meet the 8-fold path in the teachings of the Buddha, at this 2nd stage of the Christian Initiation called by Steiner: The Scourging.

We know that life brings all kinds of suffering— physical, moral, intellectual, even spiritual. The disciple must endure suffering with perfect equanimity of soul & heroic courage. We can’t run away, we must conquer physical & moral fear.

When we become fearless, Steiner tells us we may be able to see, in lucid dream, the scene of the Scourging. As our compassion deepens we may begin to see ourselves in the Christ Who is scourged.

Certain symptoms or indications in physical life accompany this event: There is an intensification in the life of feeling, a wider sense of what can be called a love of life.

Steiner gives us the example in the life of Goethe – his sublime intelligence on the one hand, but also his intense sympathy with all living beings, which gave him the key to unlock the mysteries of nature.

This is a refinement & an extension of the forces of life. So you see, this is connected to the etheric body, which gives the compensation for the trial of the Scourging. When the neophyte acquires a feeling of love for all beings this gives a sense of living in the heart of Nature herself.

This correlates to the 2nd Beatitude – the antidote to the 2nd layer of the inner earth, called the

Fluid Earth, which is held under tremendous pressure by the Mineral Earth. Steiner describes this layer as ‘dimly sentient’, calling its effect ‘negative of life’, it destroys & dissolves, expels & kills all life, it is a realm of death.

The 2nd Beatitude is a balm for this: “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

The medicine of this stage proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount as revealed by Steiner expands this Beatitude: “Blessed or God-filled are they who do not banish sorrow, but who endure it, developing the power of Ego whereby they can find the Paraclete or Holy Spirit who reveals itself thru the ego”.

Doing the work prescribed at this stage opens the way for the emerging powers of the Ego to “Build the Hut” for the Wisdom of Christ to dwell in, this is a precursor to the achievement that will be seen in the 9th stage to come.